Lima Really Is One Big Food Court

I had a reservation for Dinner tonight at Central Restaurante, but I wasn't sure that I could handle the gloriousness of it all. I was tired and still kind of full, so I called and cancelled.

I couldn't think of any specific place that I wanted to go to for Dinner, so I decided to play it by ear. After all, the city of Lima is really on Big Food Court, so I knew that I wouldn't feel neglected.

It was too early for them to bring out the meals at the Casino Hacienda, but they will always bring you something. I had the waitress fetch me some Chifles and a Club Soda. Chifles are Plantain Chips - sort of like Potato Chips, but better. Viv may disagree (she's a big fan of Potato Chips), but either way, they're really good.

I was winning (for once!), so I decided to leave while the getting was good and went for a walk. The longer that I walked, the longer that they couldn't take back their money. It was a little less chilly than the other nights, so it was comfortable.

The other night, I had some Anticuchos at a sandwich shop. That was probably a mistake.  I corrected it by going to Tia Grimanesa's storefront.

Grimanesa is the most famous Anticuchio cook in Peru (that sentence makes perfect sense here). For years, she had a cart on the street, even after she became famous. She opened this shop about a year ago, and there is ALWAYS a line into the street waiting to order.

They only have four items on the menu: Anticuchos, more Anticuchos, Corn and Soda. That's it. You order, you wait, they call your number, and you eat them. Or you take them home.

Since I was grazing, I got the smaller order of Anticuchos.

Anticuchos are Beef Hearts on a stick. It's better than it sounds. It took me five years of coming here to try them. Five wasted years. The yellowish stuff in the middle are Potatoes and the green and red stuff is Hot Sauce and Hotter Sauce. I polished off the whole plate, and was back on the street, not gambling.

My next stop was Pizzeria Mavery. I've been going there for years. I hardly ever get the Pizza, but I like thier Empanadas.

I started off with something I have never even heard of before, a Pastel de Choclo.

Choclo is the Giant Corns they have here, but that won't help to describe it. If you've ever had Jewish Noodle Pudding, it will kind of remind you of that. If you haven't, either get a Jew to find you some Noodle Pudding, or take my word that this stuff is good. I was going to eat half, but that was only until I tasted it.

For my Empanadas, I chose one with just Onions and Cheese and one with Shrimps and Cheese.

I could tell you which one was which, but there's a 50% chance I would be lying.

I usually get the Crab Empanadas, so for me, this was Branching Out. The Shrimp one was Damn Good, but the Onion one was just so-so.

Eight dollars later, I was on the road again.

Finally, on the way home, I stopped at a Chinese Restaurant near Kennedy Park. I love Soup, so I ordered the House Special Wonderful Something Soup.

It was special, featuring Quail Eggs, Pork, Chicken, Shrimp Vegetables and Noodles. Another bargain at just $4.

Then, I went back to the casino and broke even for my nighttime session.